


the blood lily blossoms

by Chamomile



Series: the blood lily chronicle [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Eorzean Alliance, F/F, Intrigue, Politics, Slow Burn, it's been 84 years and naoki yoshida doesn't want to give us gc leader backstories, so I'm taking matters into my own hands
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-26
Updated: 2020-01-26
Packaged: 2021-02-27 03:55:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22410634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chamomile/pseuds/Chamomile
Summary: For the Highlanders the Elder Seedseer fought with in Ala Mhigo, for the Duskwights who could not enter the city without some kind of rebuke, for the adventurers who worked without cease to aid the city, for the merchants and the outsiders…all was not well in Gridania.Then the vigilantes appeared, and the Eorzean Alliance would be forever changed.
Relationships: Merlwyb Bloefhiswyn/Kan-E-Senna
Series: the blood lily chronicle [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1612843
Comments: 2
Kudos: 18





	the blood lily blossoms

**Author's Note:**

> hello! this is me sort of testing the waters for interest in this kind of story. i realize most people are probably in this tag more for self-indulgent emet-selch and crystal exarch fics right now, and that's cool!! but this sort of story about the lives and backgrounds of the alliance leaders (especially kan-e and merlwyb) and some other original characters is something i've been wanting to write for a very long time! 
> 
> i think i'd probably write the rest of this eventually regardless of how many people would really want to read it because i love the grand companies a lot!! it just might take extra time. i'll explain a little more about where i'd like to go with it afterwards, but until then, i hope you'll enjoy this little precursor of things to (maybe) come!!

“ _Gods,_ ” the Lalafell wretches, “I forgot just how strong the stench of a burning corpse is.”

The small woman’s mismatched eyes squint towards the firelight, transfixed upon the charred body in the center of the white-hot pyre.

“You didn’t have to burn him, you know,” said a muffled voice from behind. She doesn’t need to turn around to know that Dashe had already covered her mouth and nose; the smell already settled in by the old Hedgetree the young Highlander sat beside.

“And what,” said the Lalafell, “leave him for the wolves? The irony would be palpable in every corner of Gridania, yes—a great captain of the White Wolves, slain by his own pack in the dead of night—but you know I can’t let any evidence pile up against us.”

“You’ve covered your trail well enough,” said Dashe. “The men and women in the barracks still think it’s the Elementals spiriting these Twin Adder operatives away.”

“Good,” nodded the Lalafell, “I’d rather it stay like that. Better to strike fear in those old guard bastards in the most Gridanian way possible.” She happens to notice a few embers running loose, too close to the Hedgetree for her liking. With a swing of her hand, the embers crawl back into the center, slow and dark as if they could feel guilty for being caught under her watchful eyes. She knew it would be best not leave the flames unattended, but for a moment, she cannot help but glance back at the Highlander, pulling down the high neck of her old robe to reveal her face:

“Thank you for helping, Sidekick,” she said, turning back as soon as she met Dashe’s gaze. Behind the mask and thick old Skallic robe, one would barely be able to see much emotion in the Lalafell’s dark complexion against the evening, but after all these years, Dashe can tell by voice alone that her companion was grateful all the same.

“Good riddance on this one,” Dashe replied, “Serpent Captain Oswin. He’d grab as many Ala Mhigans as he could from the White Wolves and send them out on needless suicide missions against the Ixal. There were horror stories ‘round the barracks. He’d send out untrained recruits against an Ixali chieftain… A godsdamned _chieftain._ They may have succeeded, but none of those soldiers ever lived to tell the tale save him and a few of his forestborn elites. _”_

“He had a reputation for being reckless, but he had friends in high places,” the Lalafell nodded, “Even if Commander Heuloix wanted Oswin stripped of his title, there was no way he could without express permission from the upper echelons of the Wood Wailers.”

“It’s been two years since I transferred in and I still can’t say I understand much of the Gridanian chain of command,” Dashe said, “Why the Wood Wailers, of all people?”

“I…feel like I’ve explained this before,” the Lalafell frowned.

“You might have,” shrugged Dashe, “but there’s…also a chance I might not have remembered.”

“They have direct supervision over the White Wolf units,” explained the Lalafell, “The power to choose who leads the smaller squadrons is under the jurisdiction of a number of high-ranking Wailers, but all among their council have proven to be against the Elder Seedseer.”

“What of Captain Swethyna?” asked Dashe, “Didn’t she have a say in this?”

“The captain hasn’t the majority she needs to go against the council—you know how old-fashioned the Wailers tend to be. Oswin had patrons in that council, and they knew well what he was doing. The man managed to go nearly five years unscathed despite the Elder Seedseer’s sentiments.”

“Do you plan on writing to _her_ of all this?” Dashe wondered aloud, “That we up and killed a corrupt officer for her cause? You know she’s not going to like it, Fleurette.”

“The Elder Seedseer knows full well her hands are just as bloodstained as ours,” Fleurette stifled a laugh as the flames began to lick at the bones of their quarry, “You don’t lead a Grand Company and a city-state thinking everything’s going to be full of friendship and eel pies.”

“It’s always eel pies with you,” Dashe grinned, dusting herself off as she stood.

“I’ve been craving them for _weeks!”_ Fleurette pouted, kicking a stone into the fire, “We always get to the Canopy just as Mother Miounne runs out...”

“We’ll try again tomorrow morning,” Dashe took a few steps forward, “but we should be going. We were lucky enough to dodge the Hyrstmill patrol once; I don’t plan on taking that risk again.”

“All right,” Fleurette shrugged, backing away from the fire. Her hand stretched out towards the rancid flames once more—A single swift motion was all it took to quiet the embers she had brought to life, leaving only a few charred remnants of bone in their wake. They were feeble little things, and the direwolves would have their way with them before the Hyrstmill patrol ever found their way to the faraway Hedgetree.

Serpent Captain Oswin was gone from this world, and no trace of him would remain. It would soon be known that the elementals had spirited him away, and no self-respecting Gridanian would mourn a man awash with woodsin. Fleurette took a sick little joy in that—the way she could twist Gridania against itself to mend its festering wounds.

She took a breath, turning towards Dashe, “You should head home. I’ll be back before morning.”

“Sending the letter, then?” asked Dashe. Fleurette gave a hearty nod, and the old Goetia tricorne followed suit, sliding back and forth with the motions.

“That thing’s far too big for you, you know,” the Highlander knelt down to her companion’s line of sight, adjusting the tall tricorne back to what seemed like a normal position. She never did understand much about robes and the like—magic was never her forte, and the weight of an axe or a spear always felt far more comfortable than any staff or robe could ever be.

“It’s better for hiding,” pouted Fleurette, pulling down at the hat’s corners, “Would you just head home already?”

“ _Fiiine,”_ Dashe rolled her eyes, patting the Lalafell on the shoulder before she stood again, “Have care out there, little viper.”

The Highlander waved once more before running off into the blackness of the Twelveswood, her silver-blue armor reflected only slightly by the little moonlight that managed to creep past the inky boughs. The Lalafell watched her fade into the foliage before turning and walking the other way.

There was one last matter of business to take care of.

* * *

It was known among the leaders of the Eorzean Alliance that tea was a language in itself; the type of tea one leader served to another was a sort of message between them. Lighter blends implied leisure and casual conversation, while darker blends tended to imply dire news or confidential business. The darker the blend—and the darker it was served—the more serious the implications.

Admiral Merlwyb cannot say she liked these sorts of indirect little acts; she much preferred to speak her mind and only served tea to her Alliance guests as a formality, if nothing else. Etiquette and poise was never her strong suit, after all. Her Gridanian host, however, strictly adhered to the language of tea, managing to convey more with it than any other leader in the Alliance.

It was a little known fact that Merlwyb came often to meet with Kan-E in the latter's private chambers; though their policies and city-states were like night and day, the two took solace in each other’s differences, learned from each other, and took joy in each other’s company over the years. Rumor had it that the two had grown nearly as close as the Sultana had with her previous Flame General, but Merlwyb would deny any such thing.

During these little get-togethers, Merlwyb came to find the Elder Seedseer partial to Gridanian chamomile…which was why she was nearly beside herself when she found Kan-E pouring her a dark Thanalan black and handed her a small matching envelope with old parchment inside.

The parchment was a yellowed, crumpled little mess, written with bits and pieces of words cut out from what Merlwyb could only assume was _The Raven_ or some other local literature she wasn’t familiar with:

_[THEY SAY the ELEMENTALS have taken the WOLF who killed a thOUSAND ALA MHIGans. LET them taLK._

_The SHADOWVIPER does all IN YOUR NAME.]_

“A vigilante in your ranks, is it?” Merlwyb placed the parchment back onto the small wooden table, “Frankly, I am surprised this is the first we’ve seen in the Alliance.”

“Their message concerns me,” Kan-E placed her teacup back down, glaring intently at the parchment and the message she had learned by heart, “yet I know not how to act against them.”

“So you’ve summoned me here for counsel,” Merlwyb crossed her arms.

“You are my closest ally and friend, Admiral,” Kan-E said, “and I do not wish to act on this without first speaking with other members of the Alliance.”

“Have the others been made aware?” asked Merlwyb.

Kan-E nodded. “As this is the first of its kind, General Tarupin wished to discuss it at our next meeting, and we shall make the official decision there. Had I not intended to consult the Alliance on this matter, my commanders would have wished for me to eliminate this ‘Shadowviper’ with all due haste…”

“…But that is not how _you_ wish to solve the problem,” Merlwyb leaned in, intrigued.

“I would prefer to find those responsible first, and inquire more into their cause,” Kan-E turned her gaze towards the evening light from the window, “It is as the message says: the ‘wolf’ they speak of was a most cruel captain of the White Wolves. Tirelessly did we attempt to strip him of his title for his treatment of Ala Mhigan soldiers, though our efforts bore no fruit.”

“Are you not supreme commander of the Order?” Merlwyb raised an eyebrow, sipping at her tea, “What authority had they over you?”

“None at all,” Kan-E shook her head, “His supporters within the Wood Wailers were too large in number, and simply chose to turn a deaf ear to our pleas.”

“I like not the sound of these Wood Wailers,” Merlwyb nearly slammed down her teacup.

“I fear that many of them are still loyal to Brother E-Sumi, who led our Seedseer Council before my return to Gridania,” Kan-E sighed, “They will not hear the words of an Elder Seedseer they believe to be false.”

“And this ‘E-Sumi’ has done nothing?”

“He has attempted to persuade them countless times, but he claims they will no longer listen to reason,” said Kan-E.

“Perhaps this Shadowviper is doing you a favor," the Admiral admitted, “In a way, they are not unlike Limsa’s Dutiful Sisters of the Edelweiss.”

“This is not Limsa Lominsa, Admiral,” Kan-E turns back to her, brow furrowed, “You know as well as I that Gridania has no need for such…unconventional practices.”

“Yet you chose not to have them investigated into and eliminated until the _Alliance_ saw fit to do so,” Merlwyb smirked, “We do not convene for another moon and a half.”

The Admiral thought she saw Kan-E’s sullen expression brighten, if only for a moment.

“Something tells me you’ve chosen to let them be so you might observe their next move,” Merlwyb continued, “Already they have found a means to communicate with you and have made their loyalties known in doing so. Whether they are trustworthy or not is another matter entirely, of course...”

“We may yet solve our deep-rooted problems with time,” Kan-E shook her head adamantly.

“Need I remind you,” Merlwyb asserted, “Her Grace thought the very same, and it nearly cost her her life.” Realizing the weight of her words, Merlwyb held back, her expression softening as she clarified:

“I’ll be damned if I stand back and watch the same tragedy unfold again, Kan-E. Not again. Not to you.”

The Elder Seedseer let her ally’s words soak in—she wasn’t wrong by any means, and yet something in her wished to fight back against the idea that her life could one day be in danger. Gridania had always been a rather peaceful place in its 500-year history, a blessed land for the Hyur and Elezen to call home.

…Yet deep down, she knew the truth of it: For the _Midlanders_ and the _Wildwood,_ all was still well. For the Highlanders she fought with in Ala Mhigo, for the Duskwights who could not enter the city without some kind of rebuke, for the adventurers who worked without cease to aid the city, for the merchants and the outsiders…this was not so in Gridania. Long had she wished to mend such deep wounds, and long had she tried to do so. But there were many outside of the Order of the Twin Adder who would not listen, and _they_ were the ones she sat next to at the Lotus Stand during times of crisis, _they_ were the ones who held high positions in the Wood Wailers and the Gods’ Quiver—organizations founded long before her Order.

“Perhaps I knew my answer all along,” Kan-E placed a hand against her temple, a pained smile crawling across her face, “and I simply needed to hear it from you.”

“It is not an easy one to come to terms with, I’ll admit,” Merlwyb relaxed a bit, “Especially not for someone like yourself.”

“Allowing this Shadowviper to run rampant in my ranks does not sit well with me at all,” Kan-E stared into the half-drunk black tea, “If the bloodshed continues, I should like to put them to trial before the Alliance…if only to allay the clamoring of my commanders and the Entwined Serpent guards.”

“If their crimes were high enough to warrant such, I suppose it would not be impossible,” Merlwyb agreed, “But those sorts of conversations are best saved for General Tarupin. If memory serves, any trial the Alliance must judge would need to take place in Ul’dah.”

“I shall speak with him of it,” Kan-E nodded, her gaze meeting Merlwyb’s, “You have my gratitude, Admiral. As of late it seems all I manage to do is speak to you of my worries.”

“You’ve heard more than enough of mine in the past,” Merlwyb smirked, standing from her chair and reaching her hand out to her ally, “I owe you this much, at least.”

Kan-E took it gladly, following suit, “It is always a pleasure to hear you speak so frankly. I have much and more to learn from you.”

Merlwyb let a laugh escape, “Your tea is by no means Lominsan wine, but it warms me all the same.”

Their hands parted as Kan-E led her from the chambers and out of the small cottage she had called home. The clock had only just struck five bells past noon, yet the flowers and trees that surrounded them were dyed in the orange glow of evening. The Admiral seemed to absorb the colors of the dusk, glowing as she walked next to the Elder Seedseer. The two of them made their way back to the Lotus Stand where her Entwined Serpent guards would await them, where Merlwyb would leave her with one last brave look back, where Kan-E felt most fettered and alone.

* * *

“Did you hear the news?” a Twin Adder soldier whispered to another as they walked through a hall in the barracks, “They say the elementals got hold of Captain Oswin.”

“Hah! And they say the elementals aren’t just to the Ala Mhigans,” laughed the second soldier, “Gods know the bastard deserved it.”

The two went along their merry way, never once taking notice of amber-clad lieutenants who passed them by: a Lalafell and a Highlander, nodding to each other in approval.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you so much for reading!! i appreciate your time very much and hope you've enjoyed what you read! this fic would continue on with similar focus on the four characters you've seen, and there's also others i haven't introduced yet for story reasons... but some things i'd like to cover are things people have been wondering for years but we never really got answers to, like:
> 
> -how can kan-e address long-standing issues in gridania that people in the fandom like to bring up so much? how does she feel about being elder seedseer? are the elementals REALLY a threat to gridania? how much do they influence her? what was her past like?
> 
> -why is merlwyb's domestic policy so prone to imperialism, and what reasons might she have for this? can she be swayed to accept the beast tribes in la noscea? what was her past like? how does she deal with and feel about her role as admiral?
> 
> since ul'dah and ishgard's leaders have gotten quite a bit of focus, gridania and limsa is where the story would primarily be focused on. 
> 
> i'd definitely love to read any feedback you might have, and i hope you have an awesome day! :D


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